In an exclusive CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interview, Dr. Mary Hayes, Research Director for People and Performance at ADP Research, shares her expertise on workplace engagement and well-being. Drawing from years of global data collection and research, she provides actionable insights for fostering resilient, high-performing teams. Dr. Hayes emphasizes the power of trust in enhancing engagement, advising organizations to equip leaders with the right tools to build loyalty and team cohesion. She highlights how hybrid work arrangements, when paired with strong team dynamics, can boost employee satisfaction and workplace resilience.
As 2025 approaches, Dr. Hayes identifies a shift in employee expectations—moving beyond traditional work-life balance to a more integrated, fulfilling workplace model. Her insights serve as a roadmap for small businesses navigating the evolving world of work, ensuring they remain competitive and create environments where employees thrive.
Dr. Mary Hayes is the Research Director for People and Performance at ADP Research. Dr. Hayes’ research focus has been on engagement, turnover, knowledge worker performance and teams in the workplace. Mary’s research helps businesses understand the relationships between engagement and performance, engagement and turnover, as well as other relevant issues in the world of work. Mary earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was focused on Qualitative, Quantitative and Psychometrics Methodology with additional work in Survey Research Methodology. Both of Dr. Hayes’ degrees focus on the psychology of people and how these people flourish through positive psychology.
ADP’s recent research reveals unique insights into Canadian employee engagement. Could you share the standout findings and how Canadian engagement levels compare with those in other countries?
ADP Research has been collecting international data on engagement since 2015. Every year, we survey people in 34 countries, gathering a robust sample of 1,000 working adults in each of them.
In 2024, 19 percent of Canadian workers in our sample considered themselves as fully engaged, down from 22 percent in 2023.
That put Canada eighth among the 34 countries we survey when it comes to the share of fully engaged workers.
In 3 of the last 4 years, Canada has been at the middle of the distribution of countries, with 2023 being the anomaly.
Your findings highlight the impact of teamwork and hybrid work arrangements on engagement. How can employers foster an environment that encourages team cohesion across both hybrid and in-person work settings?
My advice is talk to your employees. Find out what they need and discuss these things as a team. Make sure you’re not making rules for some people and not others.
In our 2024 survey, about 53 percent of respondents from Canada said they worked fully on site; 21 percent worked remotely; and 26 percent split their time between on- and off-site work. Canada’s share of remote workers in 2024 was almost double the global average.
We’re entrenched in the digital age. We can do more with our phones and computers than ever before. Anyone under the age of 40 knows nothing about a world without computers and the internet. It is a part of their lives. Remote work might be here to stay as an expectation of the world of work.
But work can be lonely when you work remotely. Being on a team helps.
In our Canada sample, about 88 percent of respondents reported being on a team. This belonging is good, but the real magic happens when you can say that your team is the best one you’ve ever been part of. Having the support of teammates makes everything better: Engagement, workplace resilience, and thriving all improve when workers are happy with their teams.
Managers can foster teamwork by helping teams support each other. We spend so many of our waking hours with our second families at work. When colleagues are supporting each other on the job, it can be great.
Employers can look at their policies, but that’s just a start. They can also allow managers freedom to decide how teams work best together.
In building trust with employees, what are some of the most impactful steps employers can take, and how does this positively affect engagement and overall workplace well-being?
The number one mover of engagement is trust, both in teammates and immediate supervisors.
One way organizations can build trust is by giving leaders the right tools. We use worker engagement as a proxy for team health.
We know that people join organizations because they value the mission, values, collegial support, and long-term staying power of those organizations.
But once they’ve joined, why do they stay? Loyalty can be nurtured by giving people clear expectations, a chance to grow, and an opportunity to do something they love and are good at, knowing that they’ll receive the recognition they deserve. Workers join organizations, but they can quit managers. When organizations can help managers become better leaders, they can improve the well-being of their workforce.
Workplace stress can take many forms; it’s different for everyone. I had a colleague who loved fast-paced, fire-drill type work, she seemed to thrive on it. Personally, I prefer to be more methodological. I do what I can to avoid fire drills by anticipating what’s coming and being one step ahead. To measure these complex human reactions, ADP Research designed a tool that looked at positive stress, or eustress, and negative stress, or distress. This tool enables us to see who is thriving at work and who is overloaded. In our 2024 survey, remote workers in Canada who felt that their teammates had their back were 4.8 times less likely to say they feel overloaded at work. They were 5.2 times more likely to be thriving on the job.
As 2025 approaches, what key trends in employee engagement and well-being should small business owners be aware of to build a resilient and thriving workplace?
Employer competition for talent has changed significantly with the rise of remote work and other flexible workplace options. This can present a challenge, especially for smaller businesses, when it comes to recruiting and retention. Smaller employers might have difficulty staying competitive when it comes to wages, benefits, and other perks.
In addition, the world of work itself is changing. Employee engagement, motivation, passion, and even happiness have become part of the conversation about the workplace, which is something ADP recently detailed in its HR Trends 2025 report.
The prevailing attitude suggests that work should be more than just a job; it should be fulfilling. Even the concept of work-life balance could be considered outdated. When it comes to job and career, people are looking for a new DNA of the workplace, one in which work is integrated with their lives.
Businesses large or small can focus on intentionally supporting workers in this new age. People who are denied the flexibility and freedom to thrive at work are less likely to stick around.
